Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 2,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates in an Express Entry round held on April 14, 2026, with the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off settling at 515 — six points higher than the previous CEC round on March 31 and the largest single jump in CRS thresholds between draws this year, which also makes it the smallest CEC round of 2026 and underscores IRCC's continued tilt toward in-Canada candidates with domestic work experience or provincial nominations even as the bar to receive an invitation continues to rise; year-to-date, IRCC has issued 61,154 ITAs across all Express Entry categories, with the CEC stream alone accounting for more than half of that total.

On March 31, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) closed out the month with an Express Entry draw targeting Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates, issuing 2,250 invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence at a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 509. This marked the 19th Express Entry draw of 2026 and the sixth dedicated CEC round this year. With 55,830 ITAs issued across the first three months of the year — 30,250 of which went to CEC candidates alone — the federal government's strategy of prioritizing immigration applicants already living and working in Canada has come into sharp focus.

Canada has further expanded work permit access for family members of foreign workers employed by selected companies. As of March 23, 2026, foreign workers employed in British Columbia by Lululemon Athletica or Microsoft Vancouver can support an open work permit application for their spouse or common-law partner, without the usual restrictions based on the principal applicant’s skill level, salary, or seniority. The new measure applies to applications received on or after that date and represents a targeted exemption for companies tied to significant investment projects, even as Canada continues tightening spousal open work permit rules more broadly.

On March 17, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 4,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence through an Express Entry draw targeting Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required in this round was 507, marking a further decline compared with recent CEC draws and representing the lowest cut-off score for the category in the past 18 months. As Canada continues in 2026 to focus more heavily on candidates already in the country, applicants with Canadian work experience are emerging as one of the main beneficiary groups in the Express Entry system.

British Columbia recently held a new draw under the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) program of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), issuing invitations to eligible candidates under both the Base and Regional streams. Those invited were mainly business applicants planning to establish a new business in British Columbia or acquire and expand an existing one. In this round, the minimum invitation score was 117 for the Base stream, with 7 invitations issued, while the minimum score for the Regional stream was 129, with fewer than 5 invitations issued. Since the start of 2026, British Columbia has completed five entrepreneur-category draws, reflecting the province’s continued steady pace in attracting business immigrants and supporting regional economic development.

On March 3, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw through the Express Entry system, issuing 4,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 508. The cut-off remains close to a two-year low range, and the draw applied the tie-breaking rule based on profile creation time, underscoring IRCC’s continued preference in 2026 for in-Canada candidates with Canadian work experience.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted a new Express Entry draw on February 17, 2026. Targeted specifically at Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates, the draw issued 6,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 508. This represents the lowest threshold for the CEC category since 2024. As the eighth draw of 2026 and the third targeting CEC candidates, the results reinforce the department's current trend of prioritizing applicants with domestic work experience and provincial nominations.

For the vast majority of international students in Canada, the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) serves as a critical bridge to permanent residency. However, even applicants familiar with basic eligibility criteria may face obstacles by overlooking subtle nuances within the internal assessment standards of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). According to internal operational instructions used by IRCC officers, the success of an application often hinges on details that are frequently neglected, including the precise application window, the calculation of study permit validity, the accurate declaration of Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs), and proof of continuous full-time student status. Furthermore, with the implementation of new policies on November 1, 2024, language proficiency scores and field-of-study requirements have become new focal points for review. This article combines internal immigration documents with the latest policy updates to comprehensively outline the critical factors applicants must consider when applying for a PGWP, helping to mitigate risks and improve approval probabilities.

On February 4, 2026, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) held its first Skills Immigration draw of the year, issuing 429 Invitations to Apply (ITAs). The draw focused on candidates deemed to have a “high economic impact” in BC, issuing invitations through a high-wage job offer stream ($70/hour for NOC TEER 0–3) and a score-based stream requiring a minimum registration score of 138 points. As of January 6, 2026, the Skills Immigration registration pool contained 11,210 registrations, while BC has been allocated 5,254 nomination spaces for 2026—indicating continued strong competition.

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) office officially announced on January 22, 2026, an immediate increase in nomination application fees for its Skills Immigration category. Under the new policy, the application fee for this category has risen from the previous $1,475 CAD to $1,750 CAD. This fee adjustment applies only to applications submitted on or after January 22, 2026; applicants who submitted prior to this date are not required to pay the difference. It is important to note that this adjustment targets only the Skills Immigration category, while fees for the Entrepreneur Immigration streams and other related costs, such as request for review fees, remain at their original price.